I'm a long time Hobie 16 sailor in North Carolina and am looking at buying a new Hobie Fox. However, before I do I want to find out more from other Hobie Fox sailors out there about several of the components and their advantages and disadvantages. I used to race extensively and now just day sail, but still like the "go fast" thrill.

Spinnaker - The on-line sales literature lists two spinnaker options, the Trumpet and the standard Hobie. What is the difference in the two sails, what is the rigging difference, and what spinnaker retrieval systems work best? As best I can tell from the on-line literature, it looks like the Trumpet spinnaker has a couple of retrieval holes in the sail for retrieval line attachments and the Hobie standard spinnaker does not.

Self-Tacking jib kit - has anyone tried this? Is it something worth investing in if there is just a crew of two?

Rail Extension systems - The Hobie European web site list three options: sport, classic, and comfort - one looks like it's just a raised rail, one looks like the 17 seat arrangement, and one looks like the 18 seat arrangement. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each.

One final question. If you're a Fox sailor, how do you rate your boat against the Hobie Miracle 20 for speed, features, and workmanship?

I have not been on a Fox with all these gadgets but I have been spending a lot of time on the Tiger. The self tacker is a must! You will never want to sail a boat that doesn't have one. I personally like the Trumpet but this get into personal preference. The spinnakers will be cut the same, the trumpet need 3 patches where the end of pole only has 2. I have never been on either of these boat with wings so I cannot comment on that. I cannot comment on the difference between the fox and H20, have not spent enough time on a fox to know. Feel free to give me a call or shoot me and E-mail for more information!

I received responses to several e-mails I sent to Hobie-Cat Europe and Hobie-Cat USA, plus a fellow NC Hobie Fox sailor, and have also searched a number of Hobie related web sites on the subject.

The concensus seems to be that the self tacking jib is a must have for the Fox. Most folks thought that if you wanted to go with wings, that the comfort wings were the most functional.

The jury seems to be mixed on whether to go with the Classic or Trumpet spinnaker. It also seems difficult to get any type of general concensus on whether a "soft" or "hard" barrel for spinnaker is better due to trade offs. Any additional comments are welcome.

I have used both the End pole and now have the NEW mid pole with a bag. I would not go back to the HOBIE end pole set up. If you could put a better end fitting, maybe, but the round aluminium hoop seems to bind up quite easily. (compared to the Inter end pole and the Hobie Mid pole)

Check out the mid pole with the bag instead of the full tube. I find the care and feeding of that system much easier than the full tube.

I have used all the above systems quite a bit. I know of at least one full trumpeteer who has just put the half trumpet half bag on his Tiger

I also think that the mid pole snuffer is the way to go right now. I prefer the solid tube because the inside of the tube I feel is more slick making it easier for the spinnaker to go in and out. However, the new soft mid pole snuffer that Hobie offers is probably the better choice for most because there's not as much risk as damaging it either in transporting or while using and it works almost as well as the solid tube.